Extract to All Grain

[StrayBullet]

SO I recently made the change from Extract to All Grain brewing, I definitely like the all grain process.

I do however have a few extract recipes that I have done that have come out really good, and I would like to convert them. I have seen a number of things on conversion ratios, but my question is what base malt do you use for each liquid malt.

For example I have an Extra Stout that uses Dark Liquid Malt Extract, and I have others that use Pale Liquid Malt Extract. So I am assuming that I don't use the same base malt for both. I'm using Beersmith to do the conversion, but I don't know what base malt to tell it to use for which.

Thanks for any help or advice.

 

[scubahoundnc]

I would find out what brand of extract that you were using. That might help.

The extracts usually contain other stuff besides base grain. Here is an example: http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/Products/Extracts.htm

 

[m00ps]

Yeah those stats on the Briess website usually give the %s of the various malts that make up each syrup.

For Pale LME, I'd guess you could sub like 95% 2row or another base malt and maybe 5% crystal. I remember reading somewhere almost all extracts contain some portion of crystal. Youll need to look at the sugar content of the syrup vs your malts. (1lb of LME will not give the same amount of fermentables as 1lb of base malt.) You'll need to play around with numbers using a beer recipe tool to get a feel for it

For Dark LME, I'm not so sure, you'd have to check the sheet. I'm guessing its mostly a base malt but probably has some Munich and a bit of Roasted Barley or Chocolate Malt to get the dark color of course.

 

[KeninMN]

The book Brewing Classic Styles is the perfect reference for you. The authors give the recipes as both extract and all grain, enabling you to pretty quickly determine which grains to substitute for which extracts.

http://www.amazon.com/Brewing-Classic-Styles-Winning-Recipes/dp/0937381926/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1432824121&sr=1-1&keywords=brewing+classic+styles

 

[scubahoundnc]

I second Brewing Classic Styles! Its a great place to develop a sense of what kinds of grains to use for the style.

 

[chickypad]

If you're lucky the maltster lists the components (like Briess as mentioned) but many don't. The pale/light extracts are likely all base malt, or 99% base malt and 1% carapils like Briess, I would just count them as all base malt. Amber extracts I've seen listed as a combo of base/munich/C-60, and several dark extracts with base/munich/C-60/black malt. Moving away from extract you have a lot more flexibility to tweak percentages, or sub in slightly different specialty malt combos. As far as choosing a base malt, again a big advantage of all grain is the selection - lots of subtle differences you can play with rather than being limited to basic 2-row. For example brewing classic styles often calls for "English pale ale malt", so it would be appropriate to use maris otter, golden promise, optic, pearl, etc. Most of the American recipes in the book just call for american 2-row, but you could also decide to try a domestic pale ale malt in those, or even sub in an English base malt for a different flavor.

 

[scubahoundnc]

To clarify american 2 row and american Pale are 2 separate creatures but most people use Pale to describe american 2row.

The pale is ever so slightly darker but you probably wouldn't notice the difference if you add any adjuncts with color.

If I see a recipe for American pale grains I use American 2row. It's usually cheaper

 

[chickypad]

I think you're probably referring to pale ale malt. It's very confusing and unfortunate the way American base malts have come to be named. Almost all malts are made from 2-row barley, but maltsters use the term "2-row" to refer specifically to the paler of their pale malts (not counting if they have a pilnser) typically in the 1.7-2.2 L range. They use the term "pale ale malt" to name their darker kilned pale malt, made from 2-row barley, and usually more in the 3-4 L range.

As mentioned you can swap any of these, or English or continental pale malts as well for a base (or pilsner for that matter if you want). The tastes will be slightly different, and some malts may be more appropriate to style than others, but if you're not entering competitions you are only really bound by what you like.

Edit: reference base malts.

 

[StrayBullet]

Thanks, for the help. I talked with my LHBS and they were able to give the the exact breakdown % wise of what is in it, so now it's just a matter of doing the math and seeing what I get.

Thanks for all the replies

 

[william_shakes_beer]

As stated above, few maltsters publish their grain bill. I suspect they adjust seasonally to get the same results at the best production cost. Grain yeild can and does change from season to season, color can and does change from kiloning to kilning, and the cost of grains changes as with any commodity. I believe you would be better served taking a stroll through the book, and also looking at the recipie database. Most beers will fall into one of the tradityional styles. Look to the color and IBu stats from your extract beer, poke the traditional recipie into a calculator and askust your grain bill (for color) and hops 60 minute addition (for IBUs). Brew it up, compare to your reference sample, and go from there. IMHO recipie development is one of the most rewarding parts of the hobby.